Thread: How to manage recoil?

Greetings All,
The evolution of my Remington 700 ADL has been a saga of managing recoil as I age. Purchased new when I was in my 20's it had a hard plastic but plate (I refuse to call it a pad). I used it a lot on the range for our NZDA club shoots and never noticed the recoil much. I have always been a big chap so this may have helped. After a decade or so I started to get recoil headaches so started loading reduced loads for the range. These were only reduced by a couple of grains which gave me a 100 metre zero with them with a 200 metre zero for the full power hunting loads. Much better. This went on for a few years until other rifles had taken over such hunting as I was doing and the loads were reduced further, settling on 38 grains of AR2206H behind the 150 grain projectile for about 2,300 fps. One day, after my son had visited, a Hogue stock appeared in my cupboard. This had a nice cushy recoil pad and after a scratch around for some bottom metal it was installed. What a difference. A DPT suppressor followed. A couple of .223 rifles have taken over the minimal target shooting I now do and the .308 has been relegated to load testing duty. Just recently while doing an inventory of loads on hand and found I had a significant quantity of full power hunting loads, most with my favourite 150 grain Norma projectile. As my old shoulder thumper has been transformed into a pussy cat perhaps it needs to go walkies in the bush again. On my list of goal trips is one in spring to Macintosh Hut and one in Autumn to Kiwi Saddle Hut in Autumn. By the latter I will be close to 73 and the rifle 45. I have carried the rifle to both of these huts a number of times in the past so one more trip can't hurt. Seems like a plan to me.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
The evolution of my Remington 700 ADL has been a saga of managing recoil as I age. Purchased new when I was in my 20's it had a hard plastic but plate (I refuse to call it a pad). I used it a lot on the range for our NZDA club shoots and never noticed the recoil much. I have always been a big chap so this may have helped. After a decade or so I started to get recoil headaches so started loading reduced loads for the range. These were only reduced by a couple of grains which gave me a 100 metre zero with them with a 200 metre zero for the full power hunting loads. Much better. This went on for a few years until other rifles had taken over such hunting as I was doing and the loads were reduced further, settling on 38 grains of AR2206H behind the 150 grain projectile for about 2,300 fps. One day, after my son had visited, a Hogue stock appeared in my cupboard. This had a nice cushy recoil pad and after a scratch around for some bottom metal it was installed. What a difference. A DPT suppressor followed. A couple of .223 rifles have taken over the minimal target shooting I now do and the .308 has been relegated to load testing duty. Just recently while doing an inventory of loads on hand and found I had a significant quantity of full power hunting loads, most with my favourite 150 grain Norma projectile. As my old shoulder thumper has been transformed into a pussy cat perhaps it needs to go walkies in the bush again. On my list of goal trips is one in spring to Macintosh Hut and one in Autumn to Kiwi Saddle Hut in Autumn. By the latter I will be close to 73 and the rifle 45. I have carried the rifle to both of these huts a number of times in the past so one more trip can't hurt. Seems like a plan to me.
Regards Grandpamac.

You sir @grandpamac are an inspiration . I can only hope I am capable of doing what you do at that age .
Lord knows I struggle enough at 50 ... and on my return home from the hills usually feel closer to 90 ...

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
The evolution of my Remington 700 ADL has been a saga of managing recoil as I age. Purchased new when I was in my 20's it had a hard plastic but plate (I refuse to call it a pad). I used it a lot on the range for our NZDA club shoots and never noticed the recoil much. I have always been a big chap so this may have helped. After a decade or so I started to get recoil headaches so started loading reduced loads for the range. These were only reduced by a couple of grains which gave me a 100 metre zero with them with a 200 metre zero for the full power hunting loads. Much better. This went on for a few years until other rifles had taken over such hunting as I was doing and the loads were reduced further, settling on 38 grains of AR2206H behind the 150 grain projectile for about 2,300 fps. One day, after my son had visited, a Hogue stock appeared in my cupboard. This had a nice cushy recoil pad and after a scratch around for some bottom metal it was installed. What a difference. A DPT suppressor followed. A couple of .223 rifles have taken over the minimal target shooting I now do and the .308 has been relegated to load testing duty. Just recently while doing an inventory of loads on hand and found I had a significant quantity of full power hunting loads, most with my favourite 150 grain Norma projectile. As my old shoulder thumper has been transformed into a pussy cat perhaps it needs to go walkies in the bush again. On my list of goal trips is one in spring to Macintosh Hut and one in Autumn to Kiwi Saddle Hut in Autumn. By the latter I will be close to 73 and the rifle 45. I have carried the rifle to both of these huts a number of times in the past so one more trip can't hurt. Seems like a plan to me.
Regards Grandpamac.

Inspirational, thanks for sharing.